FARGO (KFGO) - Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton wants the Army Corps of Engineers to temporarily halt all federal efforts aimed at constructing the proposed Red River Diversion Project.
In a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army Jo-Ellen Darcy, Dayton says he wants the Pentagon to stop advancing the Project, including endorsing federal funding, issuing federal permits, and providing construction assistance to the Diversion Authority until Minnesota has completed its environmental review.
Dayton told the Corps of Engineers "it is unacceptable that federal funding should be appropriated for the Fargo-Moorhead Project, or that construction should be allowed to begin prior to completion of Minnesota's environmental review."
"I have very serious concerns about the Project", Dayton said. "The Fargo area will receive over 90% of the Project's benefits, including the protection for future economic development of an undeveloped flood plain on the south side of Fargo. In fact, a major feature of the Project's design appears to be the flooding of Minnesota (and North Dakota) farmland in order to assure North Dakota developers that their investments will be safeguarded."
Dayton closed his letter by saying "This is a long-term project, which will have lasting impacts. It is essential that established laws and processes be followed to assess those impacts."